


When Quatre Met Cathy

by lil_1337



Series: Morning After [11]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Anxiety, Family Bonding, Gen, Humor, M/M, Swearing, sexual innuendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-14 00:28:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9148699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_1337/pseuds/lil_1337
Summary: Trowa decides it is time for Quatre to meet his sister.





	

Quatre studied the bottles of wine lined up on the shelves in front of him. Trowa had mentioned that Cathy was making spaghetti for dinner so technically a red was in order, but it took less than a glass to give him a headache, not to mention he wasn’t that fond of the taste of most of them. Would it be considered rude to pass on the hostess gift he’d brought? He wasn’t even sure that wine was the right choice. Trowa had no real knowledge about wine which, given how close he and Cathy were, implied that she was not a wine drinker either. 

Deciding wine was too fraught with potential issues he left the alcohol aisle and made his way towards the middle of the store. Flowers were beginning to sound like a much better option. That or something for dessert. Trowa hadn’t mentioned anything about dessert, maybe it wasn’t something that they did. Surely Trowa would have mentioned it if his sister had an issue with or simply disliked sweets. Maybe dessert wasn’t a good idea either. 

So, that left flowers or a plant. He picked up his pace, heading for the produce section where he had seen cut flowers on his way in. Halfway there he came to a complete stop, panic stricken as the thought hit that maybe Cathy had allergies or was opposed to cut flowers. He’d known someone once who loved plants, but despised what she had called dead heads. In retrospect he should have met up with Trowa before shopping, but it had been more convenient to do it the other way around. After all, how difficult could buying one present be? 

Pretty fucking difficult apparently. Which made no sense since Quatre’d done this before. Hell, he’d even aced the meet the parents when he was dating Darren, but then he’d been charming adults since before he was able to walk. This, however, felt different. Darren had taken him home more as a trophy, to show him off, than any genuine desire for the people he supposedly cared about to like each other. To tell the truth, it had been more like a business meeting pending a merger than a family dinner. 

Trowa had already passed muster with both Iria and Rashid and now it was Quatre’s turn to get Cathy’s approval. Not that Trowa needed it or would break up with Quatre without it, but it would make things more difficult and that was the last thing Quatre wanted. He knew all too well how much of a strain dislike of a partner could put on a relationship It was all he had been thinking about in the week since Trowa had extended Cathy’s invitation to dinner. He’d spent two days trying to decide what to wear and he’d been sure that would the only major hurdle before the actual meeting. 

Quatre glanced at his watch and flinched, he was supposed to meet Trowa in less than half an hour. Forcing himself to think as if he was playing a game of chess, Quatre squared his shoulders and continued to the produce department. Selecting a moderate sized bouquet that featured orange and yellow flowers he hurried back to where he had seen the chocolates. He grabbed a box of mixed truffles by a name he trusted to be good quality, hoping that there would be something in it that she would like. His final stop was where he started, the wine department. After a few minutes of internal debate he decided to go with a white that he knew and enjoyed. 

Juggling his purchases he made his way to the cashier feeling more confident than he had. Surely one or all of the things he had picked out would please his hostess and add points in favor towards garnering her blessing. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“You brought me flowers.” Duo quipped as he opened the door to Quatre’s knock. “Does Trowa know about this crush you have?” 

Quatre snorted and pulled the bouquet out of reach of Duo’s grabby hands. “They’re for Cathy, but if you want I can tell Wufei to tell Heero that he needs to get you some of your own.” 

Duo laughed and opened the door wider, inviting Quatre into the room. “Thanks for the offer, I’ll get back to you on that.” 

“Are you hitting on my boyfriend?” Trowa closed his textbook and stood up from his desk, crossing the room to give Quatre a quick kiss. 

“He started it.” Duo made a face at Trowa before returning to his bed where his laptop sat, cursor blinking at the end of a line. 

Quatre chuckled then pulled Trowa back in for a longer, deeper, kiss. “I’d planned to be here sooner, but I got hung up at the store. I couldn’t decide what to get Cathy as a hostess gift.” 

“You didn’t need to do that.” Trowa fished his wallet and keys out of the front of his backpack and shifted them to his pockets. “She’ll like it though. She always complains she never gets flowers.” 

“Oh, good.” Quatre sighed, pleased as some of the tension eased in his stomach. “I wasn’t sure what she liked so I got a bottle of wine and some chocolates too.” 

“You’re an overachiever all right.” Duo chuckled, amused. 

“I prefer to think of it as being prepared.” Quatre tried for wounded dignity and missed by a mile. 

“Whatever gets you through the night.” Duo’s attention was already shifting back to the paper he was writing. Quatre turned his focus to Trowa and mouthed _you_ before flashing him a wicked grin. 

“Go make eyes at each other somewhere else.” Duo shook his head obviously amused 

“Jealous.” Trowa smirked and leaned in to kiss Quatre again before opening the door. “Don’t wait up for me.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Devastated.” Duo waved them off as Trowa reached for Quatre’s hand. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“We’re here.” Trowa shut the door behind himself and sniffed the air, smiling at the familiar scents of tomato, fresh herbs and spicy Italian sausage. He shrugged out of his coat then reached for Quatre’s hanging them on hooks by the door. 

“In here.” Cathy’s voice echoed from the kitchen and Trowa headed that direction with Quatre on his heels. She turned away from the stove when they entered and set down the spoon she was using to stir a thick red sauce. “Hey there, Shorty.” She grinned and pulled Trowa into a hug before pulling back to study his face. “You look good.” She stepped back and turned her sharp gaze towards Quatre. 

Smiling, he stepped forward and offered the flowers. “These are for you.” 

“Oh.” She blinked, accepting the gift then looked back up at Quatre, a brilliant smile wreathing her face. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She handed the bouquet off to Trowa and took Quatre by the hands pulling him closer while making no pretense that she was studying him. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Trowa’s talked about you almost non-stop, but it took him forever to agree to let me meet you.” 

Quatre frowned then turned his head to look at Trowa, lifting his eyebrow in question. Trowa shrugged, looking embarrassed as two sets of eyes held him. He dropped his gaze and muttered, “I wanted to be sure.” Neither Quatre nor Cathy asked the obvious question, sure of what. “Dinner smells good. Do you need any help?”

She laughed, letting go of Quatre’s hands giving them a final squeeze. “You can set the table. There is a salad in the refrigerator that needs to be set out too.” 

“Okay.” Trowa crossed to a cabinet on the far side of the kitchen and removed three plates. He handed them to Quatre then opened a drawer under the counter and pulled out silverware. Together they set three places. Trowa added the salad and a bottle of dressing to the table, pausing after wards to kiss Quatre and run a gentle hand down his arm. “Do you want me to put the flowers in water?” At Cathy’s affirmative nod he rummaged in one of the lower cabinets and pulled out a simple cut glass vase. As he filled it and removed the flowers from the protective wrapping Cathy served up the pasta, sauce and garlic bread. 

“I made extra.” Cathy pulled out a chair and gestured for Quatre and Trowa to do the same. “Trowa is always hungry and I assumed you were the same, Quatre.” 

Quatre chuckled and accepted the glass of water that Trowa offered him. “I do like to eat and pasta is some of my favorite.”

“Good.” She grinned impishly at him and passed the dangerously full bowl of spaghetti. “Because what you don’t eat tonight is going home with you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, Quatre, what are you planning to do once you graduate?” Cathy smiled as she twirled spaghetti around her fork. She ignored the look that Trowa sent her way, focusing her attention on Quatre instead. 

He swallowed the mouthful he was chewing and took a drink of water. “My father wants me to eventually take over for him so he can retire, but that is not going to be for quite a few years. It is going to take me years to learn the ins and outs of the business so that is a good thing. I’m fortunate that I have the opportunities that I do.” 

Cathy studied him for a minute, chewing slowly. “That’s great, but it is it what you want to do?” 

“Yes?” He paused, his fork partway to his mouth. “I’ve never really thought about it to be honest. That has always been the expectation. I’m proud of what my father has accomplished and I want to make sure that the business continues on so he can retire. He’s earned that.” Quatre smiled and set his fork down. “He’s worked so hard all of his life without ever complaining so that his family and friends could be well provided for. He’s made sure that everyone who believed in him and invested in WEI has been well rewarded for their trust.” He picked his fork back up and ate another bite. “Besides, I’ve got a pretty good head for business and running a thriving company means that I can do a lot of good in the world. I really like that idea.” 

“It sounds like you and your dad are close.” Cathy smiled, apparently pleased with Quatre’s answer. 

“We are. My mother died when I was born so he and my Uncle Rashid raised Iria and I. We haven’t always agreed on everything and we’ve had some hard times when I was younger, but I’ve always loved and respected him. He is an amazing person with a huge capacity for love.” 

“Trowa tells me you have a sister?” 

“Cathy,” Trowa’s tone carried a clear warning. “You don’t need to interrogate him.” He flashed Quatre a look of apology and reached out to squeeze his hand. 

“I don’t mind.” Quatre smiled. “It’s only natural that she has questions.”

“Thank you.” Cathy smirked at Trowa. “If you had let me meet him sooner…” She stopped as his expression clouded over, quickly turning her attention back to Quatre. “Your sister is going to be a doctor?” 

Quatre’s gaze flicked from Cathy to Trowa and then back to Cathy as the tension between them eased. “Yes, she’s doing her residency right now and wants to eventually be a pediatrician. I hope you can meet her. I think you’d like each other.” 

Trowa snorted, adding his agreement. 

“What about you?” Quatre asked, “What do you do?” 

“I teach gymnastics and dance.” Cathy chuckled. “I used to coach cheerleading too, but the school I was working with decided they wanted one of the teachers to do it instead.” 

“I’m sorry. That must have been disappointing.” 

Cathy shrugged, “Not really. The money was nice, but I prefer younger kids anyway. I originally agreed to do it so that Trowa could get into a better school. She flashed him a warm smile which he returned. “That was worth it, but lately the politics have been more than I wanted to deal with.” 

“She’s also going to school part time to become a physical therapist.” Trowa smiled, obviously proud of his sister and what she had accomplished. 

“That sounds exhausting.” 

“Some days.” Cathy agreed good naturedly, “but I’m close enough to being done now that I can see the end. That helps a lot.” 

“I don’t know how you do it. I’m only going to school and some days it feels like more than I can handle.” 

Cathy started to say something, but Trowa cut her off. “You’re doing a double major and carrying more than full time credits you’re allowed to be tired, Quat.” 

Quatre shrugged, then looked away, blushing slightly. “Maybe.” Forcing a bright smile onto his face he turned his attention back to Cathy. “Do you know what you want to do once you finish?” 

Shooting Trowa a look that plainly said we will talk later, Cathy nodded. I’d like to keep working with kids, probably in a hospital setting. It will depend in part on what is available. I’m going to need some experience before I can start thinking about long term specialization.Once I’m in it I might find something unexpected that I like.”

“It’s good to keep an open mind.” 

“I think so.” She smiled. “You never know what life is going to throw your way.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I had a really nice time tonight.” Quatre set the containers full of leftovers in the fridge and closed the door. “Thank you for letting me meet Cathy.” He crossed the kitchen to where Trowa was leaning against the counter. “She seems like a lovely person.” 

Trowa sent the text he had been typing then set his phone down next to him before pulling Quatre close and kissing him. “She likes you.” 

Quatre chuckled, letting his body relax against Trowa’s. “You know that how?” 

Trowa smirked and picked his phone back up and began scrolling through his text messages until he found the one wanted. Opening up a conversation he handed it to Quatre so he could read it. 

_Made it to Q’s. Probably be here tonight._

_Thanks for letting me know. I like him. He seems nice and really cares about you._

_:)_

_Use your words, Trowa_

_:P_

Quatre looked up and grinned. “You are such a shit sometimes.” He paused just a split second before adding. “I like that about you.” He kissed Trowa before his gaze drifted back to the phone. 

_TROWA!_

_I’m glad you like him. You’re important to me and so is he._

_I can tell. Be good. Love you._

_Always. Love you too._

__Quatre gently set the phone back on the counter then looked up, studying Trowa’s face. “You’re important to me too.” He pressed in closer kissing Trowa long and deep making his desires clear. “And you are definitely staying here tonight because you and I have an urgent appointment with my bed.”_ _

__“We do? I don’t remember putting that on my calendar.” Trowa’s teasing tone was belied by the lust Quatre could see in his eyes and feel against him. “What if I already scheduled something else?”_ _

__“Oh, it was there.” Quatre backed up a step pulling Trowa with him as he headed for the bedroom. “I penciled it in when you decided I could meet Cathy. That kind of trust and generosity of spirit deserves to be rewarded.” He turned slightly while still moving and smirked. “Deeply rewarded, for a good long time.”_ _

__Trowa swallowed and picked up his pace no longer feigning reluctance. “I think a slot just opened up.”_ _

__Quatre flashed him a wicked grin then reached down to run his hand over Trowa’s ass. “By the time we’re done there is going to be more than one slot open.”_ _


End file.
